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About this project

Hey there! My name is Zack Soto, and I
run a webcomics site and micro-publishing set up called Study Group
Comics. SG's been putting out high quality print editions for the last several
years and while it's mostly been going just fine, I need to ask you
for help in getting the 2014 line together.

We've got three excellent titles scheduled to come out this spring, and here is a handy way to pre-order all three!

First up is the new issue of the
amazing IT WILL ALL HURT by Farel Dalrymple. It's a weird,
sad, silly, and sketchy, fantasy adventure strip with magic and
science-fiction and some fightin' action.

You may know and love
Farel's work from Prophet (Image) or Omega The Unknown (Marvel), but
this is his most free form work to date. And the new issue is
fantastic. It'll totally knock your socks off. If you haven't seen IWAH #1, these are beautiful print objects. Featuring full color offset printing on toothy newsprint, Golden Age sized (back when comics were BIG and BOLD), and risographed covers - this is a comic book that's not ashamed of what it is!

I'm also really excited to put out our
very first square-bound graphic novel, a collection of Sam Alden's beautiful and
inspiring HAUNTER. This is Sam's first long-form work, painted
in lush and colorful ink washes. It's a wordless tale of a young
woman trying to survive an ancient evil in an unknown land. The
pacing and storytelling in Haunter is completely masterful.

Jeff Smith (Bone) liked it
so much that he recently published a short excerpt of the story in
the 2013 Best American Comics volume that he edited. About it, he said
“Haunter surprised me. It's impossible to start the thing
and not keep reading. It really flows.”

The final project is STUDY GROUP MAGAZINE #3D. That's right, the next issue of our
comics anthology/comics crit mag has an extensive 3D section!
Not only that, but the rest of the book is printed in full color! Not
only that, but this issue is 80 pages instead of 64! Whaaat!

One
more pre-order possibility to help make those two books a reality:
Everyone loved this Study Group shirt by Michael Deforge, but not
everyone who wanted one was able to get one in time, so I'm going to
do ONE LAST PRINTING of the shirt and then retire it forever.
Kickstarter-unique colorway on a soft nice shirt. If you want it,
didn't get it before, whatever - this is your chance.

JUST WHERE IS THE MONEY GOING TO??

I know - Twelve thousand dollars is a TON of money, for me at least. And that's just for two of these books! But that's how it works. Let me tell you how the numbers break down:

Printing costs: $9000

Shipping (guestimation): $1500

Kickstarter gets their cut: $1008

aaaand: TAXES! (the rest)

If this Kickstarter exceeds its goal, I've got some cool stretch goals that will enable us to put that money directly to the production costs of four more books I hope to put out in the near future.

UPDATE: STRETCH GOALS!

Our first stretch goal is $14000, which will allow us to fund the second issue of François Vigneault's sci-fi series TITAN and add 16 more pages to SGM#3D!

A sociopolitical thriller set on the fringes of the solar system, Titan follows the intertwined stories of Terran productivity expert João da Silva and Titan union representative Phoebe Mackintosh. As tensions mount between the giant, genetically engineered Titan workers and their despised Terran management, João and Phoebe find themselves caught in a dangerous game that threatens to explode at any minute.

Titan #2 will further expand and deepen the series' "multifaceted, fully dimensional universe" (Jason Sacks, The Comics Bulletin), delving further into the lives of the Titans and ratcheting up the stakes. As Justin Giampaoli notes, "There’s no false utopia presented in Vigneault’s future world, merely an aspirational sci-fi narrative that allows us to reflect back on our own social issues through the lens of this re-contextualization process." Readers can expect Titan #2 to complicate and intensify Francois' examination of historical and sociological issues as his first-ever full-length comic continues.

Just like the first issue, Titan #2 will feature two-toned art on pulpy newsprint and fully-painted cover art, evoking classic sci-fi tales through a distinctly contemporary sensibility: "Vigneault’s lines dance between a sort of Herge influenced European classicism, complete with ligne-claire coifs of hair, and the full-bodied beady sweat style of many modern alt cartoonists" (Giampaoli). Rob Clough of High-Low Comics calls Titan "a smooth but still highly personal read" and says "the format, design and every aspect of production make this a beautiful comic to look." This is François' most fully-realized work to date, and we are delighted to be publishing it at Study Group Comics!

Stretch Goal #2: If we make it to $16,000 Zack Soto's (that's me!) comic The Secret Voice #2 will be pre-funded!

The Secret Voice is my version of an "epic fantasy-adventure comic," though there are elements of metaphysics, art comics, super hero fiction and science fiction to round it out. In The Secret Voice, the warrior-monk Dr. Galapagos races against time to stop a war, save himself, his world and everyone he holds dear. There's action, mysticism, kung fu, trolls, epic battles, and I've built a huge world, which people have only seen a fraction of so far. Still to come are conspiracies, hand-to-hand mayhem, secret societies, doomed romance, betrayal, psychic showdowns, bloody battlefields, and dark forces!

Rewards

Pledge $1 or more

Pledge $6 or more

10 backers

STUDY GROUP FUN PACK -
an assortment of stickers and buttons by Study Group Comics artists!

Estimated delivery:May 2014

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Pledge $8 or more

3 backers

TITAN #2 - The next issue of François Vigneault's socio-political science fiction saga. Set nearly 200 years in the future, Titan tells the intertwining stories of Terran João da Silva and Titan Phoebe Mackintosh as they find themselves caught in the midst of a simmering conflict. The new issue expands the story in new and surprising ways! 32 duo-tone printed pages with a full color painted cover.

Estimated delivery:Nov 2014

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Pledge $10 or more

1 backer

STICKER & A PATCH (& A HUG AROUND THE NECK) - 1 Study Group related sticker & 1 super cool embroidered patch, and a button of some sort. (no hugs around the neck included)

Estimated delivery:May 2014

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Pledge $12 or more

16 backers

IT WILL ALL HURT #2 -
The next installment of Farel Dalrymple's beautiful & epic weird, sad, silly, and sketchy, fantasy adventure strip with magic and science-fiction and some fighting action.

Beautifully printed in full color on high quality bright newsprint in an oversized “Golden Age” format (48 pages at 7.25″ x 10.5″) comic book with two color risographed covers.

Estimated delivery:May 2014

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Pledge $12 or more

41 backers

DIGITAL DAWG BUNDLE -
Hi Rez PDF downloads of all the books. Read them on your iPad/Kindle etc. Each new print book you get also comes with the corresponding digital download!

Pledge $15 or more

TITAN #1 LIMITED EDITION - Published in collaboration with Lambhouse Press, this numbered limited edition features a deluxe letterpress cover and each issue will include a sketch by the artist.

Estimated delivery:May 2014

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Pledge $18 or more

39 backers

HAUNTER by Sam Alden -
Our very first graphic novel is a lushly painted, wordless adventure comic by Sam Alden. Done in a masterful and impressionistic watercolor style, Haunter is the story of a hunter who inadvertently wakes up something old and dangerous.

96 pages, 6″ x 9″ square-bound graphic novel.

Estimated delivery:May 2014

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Pledge $20 or more

40 backers
All gone!

IWAH COMBO PACK -
Both issues of It Will All Hurt by Farel Dalrymple!

Estimated delivery:May 2014

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Pledge $20 or more

1 backer

SECRET VOICE COMBO PACK - Both issues of Secret Voice by Zack Soto!

Estimated delivery:Nov 2014

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Pledge $25 or more

18 backers

IWAH/SG MAG BUNDLE -
A copy of It Will All Hurt #2 & a copy of Study Group Magazine #3D!

Estimated delivery:May 2014

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Pledge $25 or more

40 backers
Limited (10 left of 50)

IWAH SPECIAL EDITION -
Farel Dalrymple will sign and do a sketch in a limited number of copies of It Will All Hurt #2!

Estimated delivery:Jun 2014

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Pledge $25 or more

18 backers
Limited (82 left of 100)

MICHAEL DEFORGE SHIRT FINAL PRINTING -
Michael Deforge design for Study Group, printed on a nice t-shirt in a nice color. Never to be reprinted again! Drippy!

Estimated delivery:Jun 2014

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Pledge $26 or more

29 backers

IWAH/HAUNTER BUNDLE-
A copy of It Will All Hurt #2 & a copy of Haunter!

Estimated delivery:May 2014

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Pledge $30 or more

22 backers
Limited (18 left of 40)

HAUNTER SPECIAL EDITION -
Sam Alden will sign and do a sketch in a limited number of copies of Haunter!

Estimated delivery:Jun 2014

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Pledge $33 or more

24 backers

HAUNTER/SG MAG BUNDLE - Both Haunter and Study Group Magazine #3D

Estimated delivery:May 2014

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Pledge $35 or more

1 backer
Limited (29 left of 30)

RETAILER WHOLESALE BUNDLE #3A - 5 copies of SG MAG #3D at wholesale price. Includes Media Mail shipping in the US. You must have a retail space or web distro to choose this option.

Estimated delivery:May 2014

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Pledge $38 or more

36 backers
Limited (14 left of 50)

IWAH 1/ IWAH 2/ HAUNTER BUNDLE- A copy of It Will All Hurt #1 & #2 & a copy of Haunter!

Pledge $44 or more

ALL THREE BOOKS BUNDLE - A copy of It Will All Hurt #2, Haunter & Study Group Magazine #3D!
Also includes the patch!

Estimated delivery:May 2014

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Pledge $45 or more

0 backers
Limited (30 left of 30)

RETAILER WHOLESALE BUNDLE #1A -
10 copies of IWAH #2 at wholesale price. Includes Media Mail shipping in the US. You must have a retail space or web distro to choose this option.

Estimated delivery:Jun 2014

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Pledge $55 or more

2 backers
Limited (13 left of 15)

IWAH1&2/Haunter/SGM3D -
A copy of It Will All Hurt #1 & #2 & a copy of Haunter and a copy of Study Group Magazine #3D!

Estimated delivery:May 2014

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Pledge $58 or more

3 backers
Limited (47 left of 50)

IWAH 1/ IWAH 2/ HAUNTER/ TITAN/ SECRET VOICE 2 BUNDLE- A copy of It Will All Hurt #1 & #2 & a copy of Haunter, in May. PLUS you will get TITAN 2 & Secret Voice 2 sent to you in November!

Estimated delivery:May 2014

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Pledge $60 or more

2 backers
Limited (18 left of 20)

IWAH SUPER DUPER SPECIAL EDITION - A copy of It Will All Hurt #2 signed (no sketch) by Farel Dalrymple and a super-limited, super-beautiful signed & numbered silkscreen IWAH print hand-pulled by Dueltone Printing.

Pledge $90 or more

RETAILER WHOLESALE BUNDLE #1B -
20 copies of IWAH #2 at wholesale price. Includes Media Mail shipping in the US. You must have a retail space or web distro to choose this option.

Estimated delivery:May 2014

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Pledge $100 or more

3 backers
Limited (27 left of 30)

RETAILER WHOLESALE BUNDLE #4A - 5 copies each of SG MAG #3D, HAUNTER, & IWAH 2 at wholesale price. Includes Media Mail shipping in the US. You must have a retail space or web distro to choose this option.

Estimated delivery:Jun 2014

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Pledge $200 or more

0 backers
Limited (20 left of 20)

SECRET VOICE ORIGINAL ART -
A piece of original Zack Soto art used in the making of It Secret Voice #1. Big weird drawings on 11x17 paper with india ink. Subject to availability. Can be a single page or a double page spread (subject to availability)

Estimated delivery:May 2014

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Pledge $200 or more

0 backers
Limited (30 left of 30)

RETAILER WHOLESALE BUNDLE #4B - 10 copies each of SG MAG #3D, HAUNTER, & IWAH 2 at wholesale price. Includes Media Mail shipping in the US. You must have a retail space or web distro to choose this option.

Estimated delivery:Jun 2014

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Pledge $500 or more

0 backers
Limited (4 left of 4)

THE "WHY NOT?" BUNDLE - ALL the books, the shirt, the patch, one resin Ghost Grunt toy AND Zack will paint you a painting (up to 18"x24") of pretty much anything you want to see (within reason), and give you a kiss on the cheek or a polite handshake if you ever meet in person. "Vladimir Putin wrestling Stan Lee on the moon?" SUUURE! WHY NOT?

Estimated delivery:Aug 2014

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Pledge $1,000 or more

1 backer
Limited (11 left of 12)

STUDY GROUP SUPER STUDY BUDDY 5 YEAR SUBSCRIPTION -
You'll get EVERYTHING on the list: all the new books, all the old books, and EVERY BOOK WE MAKE FOR 5 YEARS! Including mini comics, risographed oddities, minis that are bundled with toys, etc. This might pay off big. Or we might get killed in a tussle at the spx chocolate fountain. Who really knows how many books we might end up making?!??!?!??!!? All I know is, we've got a lot of plans for the future.
This is for the people I like to call "people with money at hand who just wanna help us get a 12th of the way there"

I like to call this the oddball bundle. Because I'm an oddball that thinks this JUST MIGHT WORK!!!!